INDUSTRY – Sandra Gal said she was “pretty happy” with her performance Saturday, and Jiyai Shin said she can’t wait for today’s final round of the $1.7 million Kia Classic at Industry Hills Golf Club.

It will be almost like match play when the LPGA standouts tee off with a first-place check of $255,000 at stake. Shin, who followed her brilliant 9-under 64 on Friday with a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s third round, sits at 15-under 204 and has a one-shot lead over Gal (70), a six-shot advantage over South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi and a seven-shot edge over another South Korean, In-Kyung Kim.

Shin’s putter wasn’t working like it was Friday, but a birdie on the par-4, 402-yard ninth hole led to four birdies on the back nine.

Her only mistake was driving into the water on the par-5 18th, which led to a closing bogey. Shin said it was pretty dark by that time – the third round didn’t end until just before 7 p.m. – and she rushed her swing and hooked her ball into the hazard.

“It’s OK,” she said. “I still have one more round (today). I can’t wait; I think it will be a good day.”

Gal said she was feeling a little under the weather following her second-round 68. She arrived at Industry Hills at just past 6 a.m. and spent 12 hours at the facility Saturday. She wound up playing 27 holes, which she felt gave her a slight advantage because it afforded her a chance to get a feel for the demanding par-73, 6,707-yard layout.

“I didn’t mind it,” she said, referring to playing so much golf. “It was really cold the last five or six holes, but I prefer that over really, really hot weather.”

Gal said she’s been impressed with Shin’s play, even after she hit into the water on 18.

“I told my caddie, `Wow, she’s not a machine.’ I thought she was,” Gal said with a laugh. “But yeah, she hits it really straight and she’s playing really well. She’s sticking every iron on the pin, so I think I’m just going to focus on my game and play the course.”

One of the best rounds of the afternoon was shot by Choi, who had six birdies and an eagle in an 8-under 65. Choi eagled the par-4, 377-yard sixth with a driver and 48-degree wedge from 106 yards. The ball landed just past the hole and spun back into the cup.

Choi, who shot 73-72 in her first two rounds, said the difference in round three was a change in putters.

“Just my putter was cold,” she said. “I couldn’t make it the last two days, so I changed the putter and I felt really good.”

Choi said she made the change just to put her mind at ease and felt confident about her chances today, despite being six shots out of the lead.

“Well, I think I did great,” she said. “So if I finish this here, I’m really happy with that.”

In-Kyung Kim had a 72 and was alone in fourth place at 8-under 211. Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist was next in fifth at 71-212.

Diamond Bar’s Mindy Kim made a big move with an impressive 7-under 66 in the morning, but she couldn’t duplicate it in the afternoon and finished with an even-par 73 that left her in a tie for sixth at 6-under 213 with first-round leader Amanda Blumenherst.

Kim, in her second year on tour, improved from 49th to a tie for fourth with her 66, during which she was 6-under for 12 holes.

Kim, who practices at Empire Lakes, lists Western Hills Golf and Country Club as her home course and has several club members in her gallery this week, played 29 holes Saturday and felt satisfied to play so well for so long.

“It kind of wears you out when you play so many holes in a day,” she said. “I think I hung in there really great today. It could have been a lot worse, but it is what it is, and I’ll take it.

“Even par’s not a bad score today. I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”

Also playing well was Juli Inkster, who started the tournament with a 2-over 75 but has gone 70-69 since. The veteran is tied for eighth at 5-under 214 with Spain’s Beatriz Recari, who had a 69, Paige MacKenzie (72) and Michelle Wie, who shot a 2-under 71 and has drawn the biggest crowds of the week by far.

“Kind of up and down a little bit, but not too bad,” Wie said about her round. “It was kind of a day where I felt like I shot a lot better than I scored. It’s kind of like golf, you know, some days you play well and some days you don’t.”

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